The spelling pyrame introduced by Hübner is an emendation of the spelling pyramus. Hübner, when bringing forward this name, cited the name pyramus as used for this species by Stoll (i.e. Papilio pyramus Stoll, [1790] (Aanhangs. Werk Uitl. Kapellen Pieter Cramer : 145, pl. 32, fig. 3). Stoll did not regard this as a new name of his own, giving instead a reference to Papilio pyramus Drury, [1782] (III. nat. Ins. 3 : index et 32, pl. 23, figs 3, 4). Actually, it was Fabricius in 1781 (Spec. Ins. 2 : 130) who first applied the name Papilio pyramus to the present species.

The name Papilio pyramus Fabricius is invalid, as it is a junior homonym of the older-established name Papilio pyramus Cramer, [1779], (Uitl. Kapellen 3 (21) : 87), a name applied to a Hesperiid. The next oldest name applied to this species appears to be the emended name Callidula pyrame Hübner, [1819], and, as an emendation is, under Article 33 (a) (ii) a name possessing status in nomenclature as from its own date and authorship, it is available for use for the present species. Accordingly, as the oldest such specific name for this species, it is its valid specific name.

Fletcher (1979) stated:-

Hemming, 1967, Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. (Ent.) Suppl. 9: 90 incorrectly considered Callidula to be a genus in the Rhopalocera on the basis of a later, invalid type-species designation.
P. petavius is dated from the wrapper of part 31, not from the title-page of volume 4 which is dated 1782.

See also: Petavia Horsfield, 1828 and Datanga Moore, 1879.

CALLIDULA was included within the subfamily CALLIDULIDAE: CALLIDULINAE by Minet, in Kristensen (1999).

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